BJP Rajya Sabha Slate Overhaul
BJP Replaces All Eight Incumbent MPs in Upcoming Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha Elections
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Among the outgoing Uttar Pradesh MPs not renominated were Arun Singh, Seema Dwivedi, BL Verma, Neeraj Shekhar, Brijlal and Geeta Shakya. Dinesh Sharma’s seat was already vacant after he resigned on September 11 following his appointment as Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
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The BJP announced its nominees a day before the deadline for filing nominations. The October 16 elections cover 12 Rajya Sabha seats across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath congratulated the nominees on X, wishing them “the historic victory” of each candidate.
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Hardeep Singh Puri was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2018 in a by-election after Manohar Parrikar resigned from the Upper House to become Goa chief minister; Puri was re-elected in 2020 and had completed two terms.
The BJP has dropped all eight sitting Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh ahead of the October 16 elections, naming a fresh slate of eight candidates instead Times of India. The new nominees include animal husbandry minister Dharampal Singh, along with Radhakant Ojha, Prakash Pal, Vidyasagar Sonkar, Gopi Krishna Pandey, Priyanka Singh Rawat, Ram Pratap Singh Chauhan, and Shruti Gangwar Rediff. Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who had served two terms since 2018, was not renominated.
The slate balances representation across castes and gender: three candidates are from Other Backward Classes, two from Scheduled Castes, three from the general category, and two are women NDTV. The BJP announced its final list one day before the nomination deadline and is targeting to win eight of Uttar Pradesh's ten Rajya Sabha seats in the October 16 elections.
Top Names Dropped From Upper House Race
The outgoing MPs not renominated include Arun Singh, Seema Dwivedi, BL Verma, Neeraj Shekhar, Brijlal, and Geeta Shakya News18. Dinesh Sharma's seat was already vacant after he resigned in September following his appointment as Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The complete replacement of all eight incumbents marks a significant refresh of the party's Upper House delegation from the state.
Hardeep Puri's Exit After Two Terms
Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2018 in a by-election, has completed two terms and was not included in the new list Rediff. Puri's initial election came after Manohar Parrikar resigned from the Upper House to become Goa chief minister. He was re-elected in 2020 but does not feature in the latest round of nominations.
Delayed Announcements and Selection Process
The BJP announced its nominees just one day before the deadline for filing nominations on October 16 Times of India. During the selection process, names like Smriti Irani and Kumar Vishwas were reportedly considered but did not make the final list. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath congratulated the eight nominees on social media, wishing them "the historic victory" of each candidate.
BJP's Path to Seven Assured Seats
The party is assured of winning seven of the state's ten Rajya Sabha seats and is now pursuing an eighth in the October 16 elections NDTV. The polls will also cover seats across Uttarakhand and West Bengal, making it a three-state contest for the Upper House. The complete overhaul of Uttar Pradesh's sitting MPs reflects the BJP's strategy to refresh its Rajya Sabha bench ahead of the elections.
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